A/n: Welcome to another chapter my lovely readers!😊 During the process of writing, I realized that little Naruto and his dad would've been at the party too, tho I'm too lazy to write them in (pls forgive me) Anyway! I'm only one day old when discovered that Arina is also in the GI world and honestly I was freaking out the first time I saw her name lol

The powerful punch was enough to knock the 3-A senpai out for a while and cracked his tooth. Well, mission accomplished in exchange? Witnesses were too shocked to say a word, as well as Arina Avenira, glanced her horrified gazes upward to see Asano gritting his teeth in utmost resentment and hatred none other time had even come close to. His killer-instinct eyes sent shivers down her spine.

'That means he's in love with you.'

The voice echoed in her mind. 'No way,' Arina told herself mouth-gaping, being in a loop of denial. Asano was wrapping his arm tight around her waist, still not letting go.

On the other side, Morikawa Mika and Tanaka Sekai were rather disappointed at the result. So this was the answer. So Asano Gakushuu, all this time, was in love with his supposed-to-be 'friend'.

"A-Asano-kun?" faltered Teppei -- one of the witnesses -- upon seeing what just happened, he just had to further doubt his leader's honesty.

Asano Gakushuu had always been denying his feelings for Arina whenever the rumor was brought up, but why would he get this much rage from a guy kissing a girl he didn't like? In addition, the earlier Waltz dance reeked of an overly intimate smell was already suspicious enough.

"Le-Leader! Please tell us!" began Seo, taking the bold move to force him to spill out the truth he had been hiding. "There's no point in hiding your feelings from us and the media!!"

The crowd broke out from their silence mode and entered the gossip state. The K-squad members freaked out, as well as every other of Asano's fangirls. Nagasawa Juria had expected this. The boys were thrilled over the thought of a possible new power couple. Some sighed in hopelessness for their chances. The Chairman, on the other hand, sneered darkly, and his wife was squealing in delight.

Asano grimaced. There was no going back now. It was time to surrender and confess to the whole world. And so no other guy would have dared to approach his girl like that ever again. Arina blinked at him.

He held Arina in his arm and was about to open his mouth to confess when her phone suddenly rang, dissipating the tension of the scene. She raised her phone to check who was on the other side of the line. Her Father.

"Ex-Excuse me!" exclaimed Arina in alarm. "I'll be right back after the call! Make sure to save this drama for later!"

Getting outside of the banquet hall, she took a deep breath in and picked up the phone, expecting something bizarre like the last time during summer vacation, or generally just being scolded for her lack of cooperation. However, what she received was instead a...compliment?

["Great job, my little dove! I'm so proud of you for all the things you've done."]

"My dearest Father, what've I done to impress you this much?" queried Arina wide-eyed.

["Pretty privilege really is a powerful weapon, hmm. Add to that your kindness and dedication, how could they not trust you?"]

"Huh?--"

["Now, my little dove, here's a test,"]

"I-I don't understand one bit what you're saying, Father!" faltered Arina anxiously.

["Arisha, why do you think I agreed to send you to study at your current school?"]

Arina gaped. If there was a reason for him to ask this question, there must be one! After seconds of pausing, her father lost his patience and spoke up. The reason was because of:

["Your classmate, Nagasawa Juria."]

His shocked daughter almost dropped her flagship phone.

["Must be exhausting to commute between Tokyo and Kunugigaoka every day for school. How inefficient. Nevertheless, what a convenience for us. Her father -- the Prime Minister -- he's also there at the party right?"]

"Why, yes," answered Arina without thinking. Wait, what!? How did he know her location and what she was up to!?

"My-my-my Father! You know all these times!?" the poor girl nearly fainted, finally sensing something was wrong from the beginning.

["Oh, my little dove,"] a chuckle from the other line. ["You're too naive. I know everything."]

Arina gripped her phone tighter in fear of accidentally dropping it out of anxiety. Her eyes of fear slowly scanned the surrounding. The windows of the lobby rattled. The outside, as if there were Orlas red eyes, spying directly at every of her movement. What if-- just, what if...he had been secretly watching and listening to her plans with Asano over usurping him all these times?

["Now, I want you to walk up to the Prime Minister and report a news to him. I know you would do well, you look harmless. His daughter likes you."]

"Wh-What is it to report, Father?"

["The Treaty of Peace since the World War is to be terminated soon. Tell him that Japan has to plan ahead and rebuild its own military again, as soon as possible."]

"What?" murmured Arina in confusion.

["The US, in other words, our enemies, can never be trusted, my little dove, they will be coming for the code, soon."]

"And how could I trust you -- what code is there?!" Arina accidentally blurted something that had her regret so badly that later she could not shut her eyes and sleep peacefully.

Silence on the other side of the line.

["I get it now. It seems like you failed the test I gave you."]

Without another word, he ended the call, leaving the frightened girl to slightly lose her balance and wobbled.

This world, at whatever side, was never safe to begin with.

When she got back to the party, it appeared that Asano had come to his sense and resolved the suspicion. With his skill at delivering convincing speeches, people were now apologizing for slandering him.

Arina slammed a fist into her palm. She knew it! It was her very wicked imagination that made up everything!

After the concerning conversation with her father, even with Seo accidentally biting on his tongue while chewing steak and Teppei commenting on his pain she still could not be distracted away from it. She kept finding her gazes fixed on Nagasawa Juria's father, the Prime Minister, who was standing across the hall, surrounded by his escorts.

'Wait!' Arina widened her eyes, beginning to realize the odds.

An escort of his held up a glass of wine. The ring on his thumb gleamed, reflecting the light of the chandelier above. Arina was sure she had seen it before, somewhere.

*Flashback to the day before the first semester's midterm exam (chapter 14)*

It almost hit midnight. The train station had closed. Arina Avenira, for not wanting to disturb anyone in their sleep, decided to catch the night bus home instead. She made a mistake in maintaining her timetable and thus ended up being out this late. And the worst part of all was that she was going to have an exam by tomorrow for goodness' sake! How foolish of a girl.

While scrolling through Kasuga Ken photos and sighing dreamily, imagining being with him, Arina quickly snapped back to reality when a Caucasian man whom she assumed was a tourist came to the bus stop shelter she was sitting at and kept checking the map there.

"Oh my my, sir! May I help you with anything? What language do you speak?" said Arina eagerly, trying her luck with her native language.

The man paused for a moment, blinking his eyes at the girl. Then from Arina's perspective, she could see his expression lit up as though finding his own race.

"Yes! Yes! We speak the same language! I'm from Normady by the way! B-But young girl! What are you doing here!?" he gasped in shock.

"Ah ha! Those same boring green eyes that indicate our race -- I knew it! I'm from a privileged family, so I'm permitted by the government to study aboard. A-And you, sir!? What are you doing here??"

"Same as you, but for business reasons, ha ha ha!" he scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly as a way to brush it off. Arina went, 'Oooh!' and smiled gleefully.

"So were you checking the bus route, sir? Did you buy a sim card yet?"

"Ah-- uhh," he stammered. "I arrived too late so, all the stores were closed by now."

"Aren't the stores at the airport open up to late?" queried Arina.

"Young girl, you don't need to know."

"Well, sir, then I reckon it wouldn't be too wise to commute around without a sim card. You'd get lost and that's for sure! Oh! How about do you want me to call you a cab?"

"Why don't you catch a cab home then? Being out late is very dangerous for a young girl like you. Especially in a foreign country where security compared to ours is quite loose, I must say."

"Oh, sir, I like it dangerous!" said Arina impulsively. "Even though I have an exam by tomorrow, I still prefer to do things in a way that gives me thrills! Life is, after all, a brilliant adventure! Isn't it, sir? Oh, sir, may I know your name? I'd very much love to know your name!"

The man laughed.

"I like your way of thinking, girl. My name's Ivan. Ivan Babkin. But you can call me Vanya as a shortened form. And unfortunately, I'm not quite as adventurous as you do to risk calling a cab. What's your name then?"

"Oh, how I wish that my name was Adeliya," Arina heaved a sigh, "it sounds ever much more romantic, but oh well, I couldn't have possibly traveled back in time to convince my parents to name me so. Arina is fine though, just another variation of Eirene the goddess of peace. But I heard that because all my parents' names start with an A so mine has to too. Isn't it just a funny reason?"

"Arina," Vanya's face looked as though he had arrived at a revelation. "Your parents' names all start with an A huh, interesting -- welp! I will just call you Arisha then."

He was dressed up exactly like a tourist, Arina thought, and each time he showed her the route he screenshotted in his phone, the ring on his thumb was quite memorable.

'Don't people wear rings on the index or ring finger only?" Arina kept thinking. 'It looks ugly this way and never will I forget how much I pity people who wear rings on thumps. They surely either have no taste or option. Oh my, my.'

This man had like three big suitcases with him, and Arina was generous enough to help him carry one and decided to escort him to his destination. Even at risk that she will not perform well in the exam, she was more concerned about him getting lost than her well-being.

"I'm a hundred percent sure you're gonna like it in Japan!" beamed Arina, getting his suitcase off the bus, telling him to wait five more minutes for another bus to come and pick them up and finally arrive at the destination.

"See that Ramen store over there? I've had my first awful experience that I eventually named 'The Burning Coffin of Arina' there--"

Vanya listened to the young girl talk and talk about her experiences in this country. He held a smirk throughout the entire time, feeling entertained. Oh, how foolish of a girl.

After one more time commuting by bus, they eventually reached the final station and began walking in the direction of the destination. During then Arina was too excited to finally speak in her mother's tongue after a long time so she failed to cease talking all the way there, completely forgetting to check the time, which was currently three in the morning already.

"Well, we made it," said Vanya while smirking, stopping in front of a secret base of operation. The rezidentsiya. He whirled around and said, "Many thanks for your help, Arisha Avenira."

Arina, unfortunately, was too sleepy and tired from talking and carrying the heavy suitcase at that point to keep up with her surrounding, so she merely rubbed her weary eyes and said, "Oh, I am so doomed."

*End of Flashback*

It hit her like a truck. She now recalled why the ring was so familiar. But it couldn't be -- that escort clearly wasn't him. He was just another Japanese man who worked for the government. Arina again blamed her wicked imagination.

'Trust your sense, my other self,'

A voice called. Arina tapped her head, ignoring Seo who was snapping his fingers in front of her face. Maybe wearing rings on thumps was a nowadays trend, Arina thought.

"Jeez, what's wrong with you??" Seo kept nagging, as he went to fetch her something to eat so she could come back to her sense. Meanwhile, Teppei was following his father around, who worked as a news broadcaster, meeting up with political figures and updating the world news.

"There's some secret matter only those who work under the government will have the right to know, Mr. Araki, so we advise you to stop questioning further. But when the time comes, you will come in very handy," they told him, as Teppei listened attentively. 'What exactly they are hiding from us?'

"The CIA is working extra hard nowadays," a person whispered.

"They just orchestrated a coup against Iran's Prime Minister."

"Cowardice. They are so paranoid to the point of targeting leaders who pose no threats to American interests."

Chairman Asano had noticed the odds right from the start. There was a sole reason why he told his son to invite Nagasawa Juria's father and all the political figures over, using the birthday party as an excuse. While the kids were living their lives as carefree children, the reality of this world, which was just the other side of the hall, was stirring up the chaos that only the chairman could see through with his vision.

Today's conversations among the government workers were strange, stranger than ever before. The Chairman squinted his sharp gaze. The Prime Minister -- Nagasawa Tsubasa -- didn't seem to be skeptical, however. He flowed with the conversation as if it was daily talk.

Asano tried his best to avoid Arina in order to protect his reputation. Koyama was memorizing everyone's face in the hall. Iori was complaining to Sejiro for being too generous to gift Asano a charging cable. The K-squad members were sipping mocktails, chatting over how Asano was going to use their gift in a whirl of excitement. Akeboshi was lucky enough to have the janitor man flee to him right on time and placed a bucket before the inevitable happened (what a great way to get a free invitation to a lavish party). The other boys and girls in class 2-A were basically besetting the famous idols and asking for their signatures and photos. Marie Ebara -- the idol that resembled Juria -- also was invited. On the other hand, Kasuga Ken (another famous idol) wasn't invited for some questionable reason. Morikawa and Tanaka refused to give up and pulled the class 3-A senpai out to discuss another strategy. Nagasawa Juria, who served as the main reason for the scale of this party, to even had it aired on television, was sitting docilely in a corner with her butler, watching her father making the rounds.

Juria knew too well that if she messed up even the smallest things she would be punished later, as she was the daughter of the Prime Minister and image-keeping was the most important thing in the world, for the sake of herself and for her father, and her entire bloodline.

Every young people was simply living a life of unawareness, Arina Avenira, however, was feeling uneasy with whatever thing she set her eyes on in this hall. "Eat, Arina, eat the meatballs," said Seo repetitively, trying to shove a forkful of meatballs into her mouth.

"Oh, my darling, here you are! I've been looking for you!" Mrs. Sayaka couldn't constraint herself when she finally spotted her future daughter-in-law (in her delusion) by the chocolate fondue and came running to her. "Have you tried Strawberry Arnaud yet? Here, I've brought some over to you and wait-- is this your friend, why do I see you with him all the time? Oh, please don't tell me he's something more than friends!"

"More than friends my ass!!" Seo rudely snapped back. Arina freaked out and quickly clamped his nasty mouth to shut him up.

"Please for the sun and stars of the galaxy, oh my dear mom, Seo did not mean what he said; he's just a very kind, loving boy who does not know how to express his many loves for people and got misunderstood on occasions. But I'm quite sure we are nothing beyond friendship and neighbors. And if you are here to again convince me to marry your son I'm afraid I might have to refuse though I would still very much love to call you 'mom' since 'mom' is such a word of affection and love and I reckon 'daughter' is just as the same thing. Don't you think?"

Mrs. Sayaka looked displeased. Although she still had another secret weapon under her sleeve and it was time to use it.

"I'm sorry, the earlier incident really had my hope fired up, you know," she sniffed. "I know for sure Gakushuu-boy ('Gakushuu-boy!?' Seo muffed a laugh) has some kinds of special feelings for you even though he keeps denying it! But I know -- I know because I live with him to see it! Stupid boy! He was looking at your photos and immediately changed to another tab when I walked into his room! Now -- now! I know it means nothing when you don't feel the same way toward my son but since it's his birthday, you won't mind me showing you his childhood photos, would you?"

Seo and Arina widened their eyes and exchanged looks. Sure they guess?

But it seemed like Mrs. Sayaka's plan had worked somehow when Arina's tender heart melted upon seeing baby Asano Gakushuu crawling on the ground, squealing over this illegal adorableness.

"Right? I know right? He's so precious," added Mrs. Sayaka. Seo, meanwhile, said he preferred his grown-up leader better.

"No, Seo! But he was so adorbs!" cried Arina, shaking Seo back and forth. Mrs. Sayaka smirked underneath that facade and proceeded to shove more of those illegal photos into their faces.

"Aww! He's gnawing on that toy, a-a-ah!" Arina nearly died and ascend to heaven. Seo cringed at her reaction. And Mrs. Sayaka, the more she scrolled through her son's childhood photos, the quieter she became.

"You know, Arina, he never receives any kind of affection in his life."

The two turned to look at her as she spoke. Very strangely, but more of a mother's love, tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Wh-What a bad mother I am," she sobbed. Arina shuddered and came to offer her a handkerchief. "Oh, whatever is the matter?" she gasped, rubbing her back.

"Because of my husband, I can never show my son how much I love him *sniff* he's like a treasure to me, ye-yet I couldn't have done anything," Mrs. Sayaka dissolved into tears, burying her face in the handkerchief. "So my biggest wish is just that -- he would be able to meet a girl who would cherish and love him with all her heart, and finally move away from Gakuhou's control. You're a very good girl, Arina -- too much of a good girl. I know very well that you really love our son. Even if not romantically, it's still true love. I-I just--"

Arina grabbed her hand, as she looked up to see the girl's warm smile of earnestness.

"Mrs. Asano Sayaka, a mother's love is peerless. It's best to shower Asano-kun with love ever since he was born and throughout his entire childhood and up -- up until his teenage years and far into his adulthood. For me, the good girl Arina Avenira you see as fitting for your son, nothing will guarantee I will not disappear. Oh, what if something ever happens and I will forever disappear?"

She carefully spoke in a low tone while the suspicious man with a ring on his thumb was staring at her from across the room, over Mrs. Sayaka's shoulder. Seo, who had the same line of sight as Arina's, couldn't sense a thing however.

Mrs. Sayaka pulled Arina into a hug, while the sight of that man only became clearer. She gulped, as the man smiled eerily at her. Arina was very well aware of how this world worked -- the more power you or whoever is related to you have, the more likely you're to be killed.

That was what fueled humans' motives -- either fear, or the desire for power themselves. Everything was dialed down to the survival instinct wired in every living being.

'No, I have enough of this!' Arina thought, grimacing. 'Assumptions, imaginations, I will never know if they are real or not if I won't try confronting them!'

Her feet moved and what followed next her future self in the next hours would be half glad and half terrified to look back at, she stood before the suspicious man and asked whether they have met before.

The man burst out what was the seemingly familiar fashion of laughter Arina had heard of.

"Of course I know you, Arisha Avenira."

Arina's heart raced, as though a bolt of thunder had struck her. How-How could it be!? The only similarity was the ring thingy, for the other parts-- he was obviously a different person appearance-wise; he was obviously just another random Japanese man. And how Arina's sharp sense that she mistaken for merely a vivid imagination was turning out to be true.

"I need to know about this," she commanded, in the manner of the rightful daughter of Alexei Avenir. "Tell me about this!"

Choosing a hidden spot away from the cameras, the man clicked on whatever thing was on his temple, and the most shocking revelation came into sight for Arina when from being a Japanese man, he returned to his true form -- a Caucasian man with green eyes of the Normadians, getting the veil off his face.

"Wh-What is that thing!?" spluttered Arina in horrid, taking a step backward.

"Photostatic Veil," the agent spoke. "We have practically won the war with this piece of technology in our hands. Since you grew up where it was first passed as a design and began getting implemented throughout the years, you must've known about it."

Did he mean that deadly campus of technological and biological facilities she run away from years ago? Arina widened her eyes and petrified in place.

The agent pulled off another laugh. More psychotic this time.

"Not only technologically wise but also biologically, Arisha! Aren't you feel some sort of patriotism now?"

"When did we win the biological race??" gasped Arina, taking a step forward that she had earlier taken back.

"Just like the Comrade Chairman said, how naive of you," the agent dropped his voice lower than before; there was mixture of disappointment in it. "Haven't you considered how stupid the Japanese government would have been if they were to send their test subjects to the enemy line just like that?? That's no more than a free offer to the gateway of secret codes and a declaration of war, isn't it? We were the ones behind the first models, Arisha, it was just a false alarm to serve as a way to provoke soldiers to begin arming for it, in case Japan will finally catch up."

"And-- And if Japan manages to catch up," faltered Arina, her gazes meeting his, "the US will be the first to be informed about it."

"Don't worry, Arisha," he smiled, reactivating the Photostatic Veil, and returning to the party. "Because of you serving as a threshold for us, we have managed to seize the Hardware Security, the encryption is now under our control."

"Wait, Vanya! I haven't done hearing from you!" she called out.

"Vanya? Oh, how foolish of a girl," he chuckled. "No agents would reveal their names, unlike you who revealed the name to the whole world."

Arina ran a hand from the top of her head to her forehead, eyes still widened in shock over the amount of information that had just been revealed.

Reentering the banquet hall this time, Arina realized, half of it, was filled up with Orlas agents.

They said the first day of the year often depicted the rest of it. The naive, scared young girl, came home that day to kneel down and pray to her imaginary God.

Later, unbeknownst to the two major parties, there will be an unexpected third party involved in the conflict of the world.